The Industrial Parks Development Commission (IPDC) launches an enterprise resource planning (ERP) that will automate business functions across its 13 industrial parks. The system allows for the integration of business processes across finance, human resource, sales and distribution systems, and the move is aimed at improving organisational efficiency. The software was purchased from US-based firm Oracle while implementation was handled by SoftPro International, a Mauritian company. SoftPro was selected from among seven firms that competed in the bid to implement the system. The entire process was funded with 700,000 dollars in financing from the World Bank. Two notable domestic institutions, Ethiopian Airlines and the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (CBE), already utilise ERP systems from Oracle.